Increase in worldwide data generation and decrease in data storage costs associated with increase in computing power and decrease in computing costs that we are experiencing globally are opening a brand new world of opportunities. Yet, new technologies still fail to mimic humans inner ability to interact and influence each other, thus failing to efficiently replace human when comes the time for companies to talk with their customers. Yet some technologies in this field contribute to enhancing such interactions and may open the way for a sustainable Al revolution. Such a revolution is not one of human labor substitution by intelligent machines but one of collaboration through augmentation of human capabilities. One company, Afiniti, has developed such a technology and associated it with a very unusual business model and sales strategy that could very well be a game-changer in the space. Afiniti enhances human interactions by applying behavior-based personalization in the contact center space. Having developed a precise measurement system it only gets compensated on the precisely generated benefits it delivers. Selling such a business model has led the company to transform its sales engagement approach in order to tackle firms' organizational inefficiencies that hindered its ability to sell efficiently. Building the structure, levers and channels necessary to support this strategy, it has also strengthened its competitive position in its newly open market through its first mover advantage business model, its aggressive intellectual property building and its sales network. Finally, it appears that its approach to personalization is fitting in numerous academic fields and very relevant to the specific characteristic of the contact center space. Said to expect public offering in 2017 we still need to see what will be the long-term trajectory of a product that will probably not stay alone in its space.

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Thesis: S.M. in Management Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2017.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-62).